Safety-pin



No. 625,994. Patented May 30, I899.

C. G. VILAS.

SAFETY PIN.

(Apflicstion filed Nov. 25, 1898.) (No Model.)

out;

U NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLOTTE O. VILAS, OF MILWAUKEE, WVISCONSIN.

SAFETY-PIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,994, dated MayBO, 1899.

Application filed November 25, 1898. $erial No. 697,343. (No model.)

' a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in safety-pins. v

The primary object had in view is to provide an improved form of safety-pin which shall be of a strong and enduring character and in which an improved form of guard or shield is provided.

Having the above object and other incidental objects in view, the invention consists I of the devices and parts or their equivalents, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of two of the pins, one of said pins provided with a plurality of loops and the other with a plurality of hooks adapted to engage said loops, and both of said pins provided with my improved double form of shield or guard to adapt the pin to engage on either side. Fig. 2 is a view of the right-hand end of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of two safety-pins, one being shown with a different form of hook-engaged loops and both being shown as provided with a single shield 0r guard to adapt the pin to engage only on one side; and Fig. 4 is a view of two pins in side elevation, both pins being provided with the same form of shield of guard as shown in ,Fig. 3, but otherwise difiering from Fig. 3 in that one side of each pin is formed by two strands of the wire and that one pin is only formed with one loop and the other pin with only a single hook engaging said loop, the loop and hook of the respective pins being formed from one of the strands of the wire.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates one safety-pin and 6 another safetypin, both of said pins being formed from a single piece of wire. In explanation of the construction of the pin 5 of Figs. 1 and 2 it is to be stated that, starting at the end 7 of the wire, said wire is formed into a U-shaped end 8, the wire from one of the straight members of said U-shaped end being carried at an angle, as indicated at 9, and thence back and forth across and on one side of the U- shaped end to form any desired number of loops. The ends of these loops are bent over the respective straight members of the U- shaped end 8 of the safety-pin adjacent to the side of said U-shaped end, one series of said bent-over portions thus formed being indicated by the numeral 10 and the other series by the numeral 11. These bent-over portions only extend a limited distance transversely of the U-shaped end, and those comprising the series 10 are preferably shorter than those comprising the series 11. The U -shaped end 8 and the loops, with their bent-over portions 10 and 11 ,fOllIl the go ard or shield. These bentover portions 10 and 11 serve to strengthen the guard or shield and also prevent the straight members of the U shaped end 8 from spreading apart under strain. The bent-over portions 11 also serve the additional function of forming catches with which the pointed end of the pin engages. It is of course 0bvious that instead of providing a series of two or more of the bends 10 and a series of two or more of the bends 11 the wire can be carried back and forth across the U-shaped end only a sufficient number of times to form merely one bent-over portion 10 and one bent over, portion 11, and I consider this to be within the spirit and scope of myinvention. One of the longer bent-over portions 11 of the loops is turned in an opposite direction to the others, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and as indicated by the numeral 11, so as to provide a double form of guard or shield, so that the pin may engage on either side. After the final bent-over portion 11 is formed the wire is continued across the U-shaped end and thence along longitudinally to form the main bar of the safety-pin, and this main bar may be bent one or more times to form a hook-engageable member or members 12. In Fig. 1 I show three of these hook-engageable members so formed. From the terminal hook-engageable member the wire is continued longitudinally for a short distance and is then bent around to form the spring-coil13. From this into the shield ion bent-over portions 11 or the oppositely-turned bent-over portion 11.

The shield or guard of the safety-pin 6 of Figs. 1 and 2 is formed in exactly the same manner as in the case of the safety-pin 5, excepting that there is a reversal of partsthat is to say, the short bent-over portions 10 are bent around the opposite straight member of the U-shaped end S to that of the safety-pin 5, and the longer bent-over portions 11 and 11 are bent around the opposite straight member of the U-shaped end 8 to that of safetypin 5. This safety-pin 6, however, instead of having the wire forming the main bar formed with the hook-engageable members 12 said wire is bent to form one or more projecting looped hooks 15, a twist being formed at the base of the hooks, if desired, and as shown.

In the modified form of construction shown in Fig. 3 both safety-pins instead of having the shield or guard formed with three short bent-over portions 10 and three longer bentover portions 11 are only provided with two of said bent-over portions 10 and two of the bent-over portions 11. The safety-pin 5 of the Fig. 3 form of construction is also provided with a modified form of hook-engageable members. Instead of bending the main bar of the hook to form the members 12 of Figs. 1 and 2 the wire is simply twisted around to form a coil or eye 16.

In the Fig. 1 form of construction instead of the end of the wire starting within the shield or guard, as in the other forms of construction, said end of the wire commences at the point17, where it is bent into the form of a small hook. It is then curved around and continued from the curve straight along fora desired distance to form one strand 18 of the main bar of the hook and is then bent around to form the U- shaped end S, and after the bent-over portions 10 and 11 are formed the wire is continued along parallel with the strand 18, so as to form another strand 19, thereby making the main bar of thesafety-pin of two strands of wire, and consequently greatly increasing the strength of the pin. In this strand 19 of the safety-pin 5 of Fig. 1 is formed merely a single hook-engageable member 16 and the other pin 6 with merely a single hook 15, engaging said member 16. It is obvious, however, that the member 16 and hook 15 could be formed in either of the strands of the side members of the safety-pins. After the hook-engageable member 16 or the hook 15, as the case may be, is formed the strand 19 is continued along and the spring-coil 13 is formed therein and the portion extending from the coil forms the pin 14. The additional strand for the main bar, as shown in Fig. 4, not only increases the strength of the safety-pin, but, furthermore, by being bent around adjacent to the spring-coil 13 forms a guard to prevent the garment from catching into the coil.

My invention is particularly adapted as a skirt or other garment supporter. In its application as a skirt-supporter either the pin 5 or the pin 6 can be secured to the waist, as

desired, and the other pin secured to the skirtband. I prefer, however, to secure the pin 6 to the waist and the pin 5 to the skirt-band, inasmuch as by seen ring the pin 5 to the skirtband there are no hooks to catch into parts of the clothing or into the hair in removing the skirt. \Vhen the pin 6 is secured to the waist, it may be secured either on the inside or on the outside thereof, as desired. If secured on the inside, the hooks 15 should be outermost, whereas if secured on the outside of the waist said hooks should be turned in. The pin 5 should always be on the inside of the skirt-band.

It will be seen from the foregoing descrip tion that I provide improved forms of safetypins which possess the maximum amount of strength and which are well adapted for the purpose intended.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. As an improved article of manufacture, a safety-pin formed from wire, said pin having a U-shaped bend at one end extending in the direction of the length of the pin, with the wire from the U-shaped end bent back and forth across and on one side of the U- shaped end to form transverse loops, the ends of said transverse loops being bent around to form a bent-over portion adjacent to each straight member of the U-shaped end, the bent-over portion adjacent to one straight member of the U-shaped end forminga catch adapted to be engaged by the pointed end of the pin, and the wire from the terminal loop being continued along longitudinally to form the main bar of the safety-pin, t hence bent around, and thence continued longitudinally to form the pin.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a safety-pin formed from wire, said wire being extended longitudinally to form one strand of the main bar of the pin, thence bent to form a U-shaped end extending in the direction of the length of the safety-pin, with the wire from the U-shaped end bent back and forth across and on one side of said U- shaped end to form transverse loops, the ends of said transverse loops being bent'around to form a bent-over portion adjacent to each straight member of the U-shaped end, the bent-over portion adjacent to one straight member of the U -shaped end forming a catch adapted to be engaged by the pointed end of the pin, and the wire from the terminal loop being continued along longitudinally to form the other strand of the main bar of the safetypin, thence bent around to form a spring-coil, and thence continued longitudinally to form the pin.

3. As an improved article of manufacture, a safety-pin formed from wire, said pin consisting of a main bar, a pin portion, and an end guard or shield, said end guard or shield consisting of a U-shaped portion extending in the direction of the length of the safetypin, and a portion transverse of the U-shaped portion, said transverse portion consistingof a strand of Wire bent back and forth across and on one side of the U-shaped portion to form transverse loops, the ends of said transverse loops being bent around to form a bentover portion adjacent to each straight member of the U-shaped portion, the bent-over portion adjacent to one straight member of the U-shaped portion formingacatch adapted I0 to be engaged by the pointed end of the pin.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLOTTE O VILAS.

Witnesses:

A. L. MORSELL, ANNA V. FAUST. 

